Attachment for violin-bridges



F. A HART.

ATTACHMENT FOR VIOLIN BRIDGES. APPLICATION FILED NOV, 3. I917.

1,306,663. Patented June 10, 1919.

INVE/VTUR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. HART, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

ATTACHMENT FOR vionm-en oons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1919.

Application filed November 3, 1917 Serial). 200,183.

0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. HART, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachmentsfor Violin-Bridges, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The scarcity of gut strings, particularly those for the higher notes insuch instruments as violins, and the liability of those obtainable tobreak even under normal hygrometric conditions of the atmosphere, haveled to the use of metal strings, especially E strings, in their stead.These substitutes, however, are not entirely free from objection onseveral grounds. Being relatively fine or small in diameter, and caused,in tuning, to be drawn back and forth over the bridge, such strings havea tendency to settle into or saw the bridge and to thereby sink to alower level than the best results demand. In their use, moreover, underthe bow they are apt to produce at times a twanging effect which isnoticeable to a trained car.

With a view to rendering more practicable and general the use of wirestrings for instruments of this class I have devised small metal clipswhich are detachably attached to the top of the bridge to form asubstantially indestructible seat for the strings, or if the twangingeffect is to be avoided I cut away the top of such clips instead ofmerely indenting them to receive and hold the string against lateralmovement and lay under the clips along the top edge of the bridge asmall piece of leather or other yielding material to afford a softbearing for the string.

This improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichFigure 1 is a view in elevation of a violin bridge with one of myimproved clips attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a similar enlarged view of a portion of a bridge showing insection a clip with a strip of yielding material under the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in perspective of one of the clips.

A is any form of bridge for supporting stretched strings of which theviolin bridge is the type. This bridge usually has notches orindentations B along its top edge to retain the stretched strings, andto protect the wooden bearings which are thus provided, I form clips Gof brass, steel or other metal, which may he slipped down over the topof the bridge and astride of the same as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

For purposes of this case these clips may be formed by simply doublingover on itself a flat strip of more or less resilient metal, and it ispreferable to indent them so that the depressed metal will fit in anotch B and also serve to retain the string resting in it.

In some cases, instead of an indentation in the clips I file or cut awaya short section of this metal clip and under it I lay upon the top ofthe bridge a small strip of leather or other yielding material D whichis exposed through the cut away portion and affords a soft or yieldingseat for the string. If by use these strips are cut through they may beeasily and readily replaced.

The clips may be made in any other desired manner and may depend solelyupon their natural resiliency to hold them in place, or they may beconstructed more elaborately and provided with special means forattaching them to the bridge. These are matters purely within theprovince of the skilled artisan, and are all included in my invention,which in essence involves detachably attached clips which afiord orwhich provide seats for the metal strings.

Bridges have been or may be made with special seats of various kinds,for example, insets of metal or ivory, but these all form permanentparts of the bridge and involve a much greater expense than the resultsfollowing their use would justify.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a bridge for instruments of theviolin type, which is adapted to be located on the sounding board orbelly of the same, of a metallic clip detachably attached to the top ofthe bridge at a point where a stretched wire string may cross to afforda bearing for such string.

2. The combination with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument ofthe violin type, which is adapted to be located on the sounding board orbelly of the same, of a notched metal clip detachably attached to thebridge at a point where a wire string used in the instrument crossessaid bridge to afford a bearing for such string anda strip of yieldingmaterial laid under the clip With Which the said string lies in contact.r

3. The combination with at Wooden violin bridge having notches in itstop for the strings, of a metal clip having an indentation thereinadapted to be slipped down over the top" of the bridge'over such'notchtherein 10 as m be designed to receive a Wire string, to constitute adetachable bearing for such string. 7 v V In testimony whereof I aifixmy signature.

FRED A. HART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fOI fiVB cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

'Washington, D G.

